1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and systems that position and secure a cable connector for blind docking with an electronic module.
2. Background of the Related Art
Electronic devices, including data processing devices such as servers, are typically housed in standardized equipment enclosures. These enclosures have side walls that establish or include a rack. The rack is a substantially rectilinear metal frame having a plurality of mounting and alignment openings or holes that permit mounting various devices in the rack.
Rails are commonly mounted to the walls or other support structure in the rack to provide support for electronic devices or components. The rails are screwed, bolted, or otherwise attached to the rack and the devices are placed on a pair or set of rails secured to opposing walls of the rack. In order to be attached to the rack the length of the rails must be appropriately configured to cooperate with the rack.
Because a computer system may not completely fill a rack and because individual devices or chassis may have various heights, it is desirable to have rails that can be selectively mounted at desired heights within the rack. In this manner, the vertical spacing between rails can be incrementally adjusted to accommodate specific devices as the computer system is being installed or reconfigured. Typically, the height of a device is an integer multiple of a “unit” height (otherwise known as a “U”), wherein each unit of height measures 1.75 inches. Standardized rack specifications are provided by the Electronic Industries, Alliance (EIA).
In order to simplify installation of devices into the rack, the devices and the rack may be designed for blind docking. The term “blind docking” indicates that an electronic device or module can be coupled to an electrical connector without needing access to the back of the rack. Accordingly, the act of positioning the device or module into a rack bay is sufficient to cause the device or module to become connected to an electrical connector, such as a power connector. Similarly, the device or module may be disconnected from the electrical connector simply by removed the device or module from the bay.